Jen Frederick's Woodlands Series on Sale!!!

Unrequited (book 5) now LIVE on Amazon!

S.N. Garza's Romance "Bound" is FREE

Get your copy at Amazon.

Book Summary

Inspired by the song, 'Cop Car' by Keith Urban.

Courtland spent his childhood watching his mother turn tricks and bow to her abusive pimp. It taught him a lot about relationships and how never to get involved in one. When he meets sweet Adelaide, his life is forever changed. Her gentle personality has his thinking maybe his vow to never commit is misplaced. Until she disappears out of his life.

Adelaide knew the only way to escape the darkness she’s lived her life in, is to go back to the one place that’s haunted her dreams. Home. Reuniting with Courtland is the last thing on her mind until she becomes helpless to his every kiss. Hopeless to his ever touch. And no matter how far she tries to run, her heart is irrevocably bound to him.

 A story of tragic pasts colliding, finding a friendship that turns into searing passion, and a love strong enough to last forever.

 ***for mature readers due to sexual content, graphic language, and some violence. Not for Young Adult readers.***

Teaser from S.N. Garza's Upcoming Romance

New Release by Romance Author Laramie Briscoe

The newest installment in Laramie Briscoe's biker romance series is now available at Amazon.

Book Summary

Sister
Lone survivor
Scared, but tough

Christine Stone has lived through a lot since the day she was born. Her older brother left her without a backwards glance, leaving her with parents who wanted to use her to better themselves in their cult-like religious sect.

Days after legally becoming an adult, she’s given to an older man for an arranged marriage that will change her life forever. Escape is the only way her life can be saved. When she succeeds and sets out to make a new life for herself, she meets Travis Steel — communications and security officer for the Heaven Hill MC.

Loner
Protector of secrets
Level-headed and steady

Travis Steele has been on the periphery of the Heaven Hill MC for a long time. Quiet, he takes his job seriously. He is the protector of the group, in charge with keeping family and friends safe.

When one meeting with the sister of his friend turns into more, he struggles with where to draw the line. She needs a friend, and Travis prides himself in being what other people need, often sacrificing himself for others. As he discovers the life that Christine has been forced to live, it opens up old wounds, new wounds, and secrets that everyone thought long buried.

Turning a chance meeting into love is hard, especially when everyone has a dirty little secret.

New Release from Romance Author Chantal Fernando

Spin My Love by Chantal Fernando is now available at Amazon. Get your copy of the standalone romance today.

Book Summary
World renowned DJ Tane Miller returns to his hometown after leaving when he was eighteen and never looking back. When he runs into his beloved childhood friend Giselle, his life takes a turn he could never have anticipated.

 Giselle Reece has been in love with Tane ever since she can remember. After learning her lesson the hard way, she realizes that Tane isn’t the man she once thought he was. When he re-enters her life, desperate to make amends, Giselle needs to decide whether she can let down her guard and forgive the man she once adored, or is it time to finally let go?

Tane must now fight for what he wants, even though he isn’t sure he deserves it. The only question is, will it be enough? Or is it too late for him to redeem himself?

 **This is a stand alone novel**

New Romance by Debut Author Stella Hunter

The Strong One is the first release by a hot new indie author. Hurry up and grab Stella Hunter's debut romance for free on Amazon.

Book Summary
David Nobel has lusted over his sister’s friend Megan Scott since high school. Back then, she rejected the advances of the scrawny boy that he was. Now, he is a popular personal trainer and self-defense coach, which he credits to all the time spent in the gym after that fateful rejection. When David finds a scared, scarred Megan hiding out from her brutal ex-husband at his sister’s house, he must find a way to convince her just how strong she truly is—before his sister, Bethany, and her family get caught in the crossfire.

As David teaches Megan self-defense, his long-forgotten feelings return in force. The long sessions of close contact teach them both how to trust again. As Megan slowly takes back her life, David is left wondering if she’ll find any room in it for him.

With Megan’s ex-husband stalking her every move, David must show her that love is not a weakness, it is what makes her strong.

New Release by Romance Author Laramie Briscoe

New release by Laramie Briscoe is now available at Amazon and Kobo. Get your copy of One Day at A Time today.

Book Summary

****Rockin' Country 1.5****
Celebrity Couple.

Perfect in the public eye; imperfect in private.

Perfectly imperfect for each other.

Reaper and Harmony are finally off the road and ready to just be Garrett and Hannah. Excitement turns into fear when they start to learn more about each other. Gone is the glitz and glamour of hotel rooms and living on the road.

Now it’s real-life, and they have to learn how to deal with one another on a day-to-day basis.

Will they be able to withstand the pressure, or will they fold under the weight of the public machine?

 They know the only thing they can do is take it one day at a time.

Interview with Romance Author Sera Bright

New Cover

Sera Bright is a new indie author of See Through Me. The romance novel was published in May 2014 and is the first of two planned for this year. Let's learn more about Sera and her writing...

Angie: How long have you been writing and when did you decide to indie publish? What was the biggest hurdle in going it alone?

Sera: I only started writing last year. See Through Me is my first novel ever. It was quite a steep learning curve, but I put time aside each day to work on my craft and just kept going. The biggest hurdle, though, was the constant self-doubt. Am I wasting my time? Is anyone going to want to read this? Etc. But it’s something you have to push aside and try to ignore. (I know, easier said than done.)

Angie: You published See Through Me in early May. Can you explain the idea behind the book? Where did the inspiration come from?

Sera: I was inspired by watching TV shows with all these interesting anti-heroes and villains, and began thinking about what would it be like if your parents were those characters? How would you view the world and relationships? What kind of disasters would happen in your life because of their choices? A story developed in my head about two kids growing up in that dysfunction and I ran with it.

Angie: See Through Me is the first of two books in the Lose My Senses series. When book two will be released?

Sera: Only Your Touch will be released in early August.

Angie: Katie is the heroine in See Through Me. What can you share with us about the character?

Sera: Katie returns to her hometown after taking the year off from college. She doesn’t want to be there. In fact, she doesn’t know what she wants at all out of life. She’s pretty lost as a character. Her one anchor was the boy next door, Ash. They had a brief relationship last summer, and he’s back in town looking for her.

Angie: Ash is the hero of the book and described as “tall, dark, and demanding answers.” What more can you tell us about his character?

Sera: Ash is sweet but intense. He’s struggling with his own issues. Katie was also his anchor to keep him grounded. But unlike her, he’s absolutely certain about what he wants out of life. He wants to be an artist and he wants Katie.

Angie: What drew you to romance as a genre? Do you plan to branch out to other genres as your career progresses?

Sera: Romance was a natural fit because I’ve always read romance. I snuck my mom’s bodice rippers as a kid. I like the push and pull of the relationships. The character growth that has to come before they can get their happily ever after. How they have to earn the ‘I love you’ to make it believable to a reader. And, of course, the sexual tension. I don’t exactly believe in fade to black. Lol.

I do want to branch out, though. I can see NA going in exciting directions with fantasy and paranormal, and I’m eager to try some different projects out that I’m plotting.

Angie: How do you come up with the names for your characters?

Sera: *laughs* I was writing and realized I had to name these people and pulled their names out of thin air, assuming I could change it later. When later came, I realized that it was impossible to change their names since in my head they had developed as real people and those were now their names.

Angie: Chicken or the egg question. Do you create a character and build around him/her? Or do you imagine a concept and create characters which fit the idea?

Sera: What I did was just write and let the characters, just to see what would happen. Then I would have to go back and think about the ‘why’ that was behind what they were doing and how it related to their character. It was an enlightening process, but also time consuming. I don’t know if I’ll do it that way again, to be honest.

Angie: How do you avoid writing a Mary Sue or Marty Stu when most writers can’t help falling desperately in love with their creations?

Sera: My main characters are deeply flawed, both because of their past and personality traits. For instance, Katie lies constantly. I am more drawn to those type of characters than anything else. A story wouldn’t be any fun if everyone made all the right decisions.

But, on the other hand, I may have fallen a little too in love with them because I can’t shake the feeling I held back in See Through Me. I didn’t truly let enough awful things happen to them. I’m working through that right now as I finish Only Your Touch. Sad to say, bad things are going to happen in the sequel because what that’s what the story demands.

Angie: Do you use anything to inspire you while you’re writing like music or visual aids? Also have you found ideas come to you more freely in particular places or at certain times of the day?

Sera: Ideas just sort of appear in my head and I scribble it on the nearest piece of paper. My husband knows not to throw any pieces of scrap paper out at this point. I do listen to music as I write, and go through different phases. Right now it’s the Divergent movie score.

Angie: When an idea hits you, do you start writing immediately or plot it out first?

Sera: Write immediately, figure out where it goes and why later

Angie: When you read less than fawning reviews, how do you know when to use the critique to improve your future writing and when do you chalk up the criticism as different strokes for different folks?

Sera: I recently dealt with this issue. On my early reviews, almost half of the readers expressed frustration about too many unresolved questions at the end. I do listen and appreciate all reviews, so I went ahead and added the next scene in the storyline before publishing. It did create a cliffhanger, but the response has been very positive about the changes.

Angie: I’ve read criticism from particular bloggers (Fangs for the Fantasy being one) about the lack of people of color and different sexual orientations in fiction. Do you take this lack of diversity into consideration when creating plots and characters?

Sera: *groans* I struggle with this. I want to be more diverse with my characters, but I don’t want to make it their whole identity, either. I personally dislike books that use someone’s disability or sexual orientation as their main defining feature. As a new writer, one of my goals is to work on developing more complex characterization that allows for sensitive, realistic portrayal of diverse characters.

Angie: Do word counts mean anything to you? Do you find your books top out at around the same lengths?

Sera: See Through Me is my first official completed novel at 76K words, so I don’t have a large sample to draw from. I do know the sequel is likely going to be 50% longer, around 100-120K words.

Angie: How big a deal is writer’s block for you and what do you do to shake it off?

Sera: I use Write or Die and force myself to write something, anything. It may be awful but at least there are words on the page

And I’m really more in my element when I’m revising. I actually like that part! I like expanding on ideas, mulling over word choice and phrases But none of that can happen until there are words on the page, so I do fast drafts of almost all my scenes using Write or Die.

Angie: What books did you enjoy most in 2013?

Sera: Broken by Megan Hart. Captive in the Dark by CJ Roberts. Strings by Kendall Grey. Life After Death by Damien Echols.

Angie: What trends do you hope die in 2014? Are there any you hope take off?

Sera: Less dystopian, werewolves, and vampires. More unique takes on paranormal and fantasy, especially in the New Adult category. And interesting sci-fi!

Angie: What are you plans for 2014 as an indie writer?

Sera: Getting Only Your Touch ready for release is my immediate goal right now. But I have a stand-alone NA contemporary romance, a fantasy NA romance, and an erotic urban fantasy serial all plotted out and outlined. (Those scraps of paper come in handy!) I work on different projects when I need to recharge a bit.

******

Find See Through Me at Amazon, B&N, and Kobo.

Follow Sera at her website, Facebook, and Twitter.

New Release by Romance Author Amity Cross

Undeniable: Unexpected#4 by Amity Cross is now available at Amazon.

Book Summary

Undeniable is a companion novella to the Unexpected Trilogy and can be read as a stand alone.

One part. One story. One Undeniable connection.

**************
Joe Fox is a floater. He's a coaster on the coffee table of life.

He rides the wave spread by the juggernaut of rock 'n' roll outfit, Affliction, claiming what he wants and sticking to his limits. On the outside he is the calm inside the hurricane. Underneath the surface he's struggling against his own brewing category five.

When Affliction goes on a long awaited hiatus, he finds himself alone in more ways than one. What's a man to do when he's got plenty to forget and all the time in the world to do it in?

Crash into someone beautiful and wild, that's what.

Someone so wild that they might be able to calm the storm within and awaken something undeniable...

WARNING: This book is an Erotic Romance. That means a LOT of descriptive sex and F-bombs.

It's approx. 120 print pages long.

One part. No cliffhangers.

Due to popular reader demand... Unbearable #5 (Sasha's story) is coming in July...

New Release by Romance Author Emilia Winters

Electric is the newest sizzler by Emilia Winters. Get it at Amazon today!

Book Summary

Release week price: $2.99! Price returns to $3.99 on June 7th!

He made her feel electric. Like volts of energy fizzled through her veins, racing, constantly stimulating. It was intoxicating and thrilling. And for the first time in her life, she felt truly alive.

Luke Branford.

Notorious womanizer.

Shameless flirt.

Heir to his family’s multi-million dollar business.

His motto? No love, no relationships. Just pure, carnal sex…no strings-attached.

When prim and efficient Kate Kennedy is hired on as Luke's temporary assistant, her no-nonsense attitude and blatant dismissal of his advances sparks a challenge he simply can’t resist. But Luke has demons of his own and a tragedy that happened years ago continues to haunt him. Once lines are crossed and rules are broken, will past secrets keep them apart…or bind them closer together?

New Release by S.N. Garza

Bound by S.N. Garza is now available at Amazon. Get your copy of the romance today.


Book Summary
Courtland spent his childhood watching his mother turn tricks and bow to her abusive pimp. It taught him a lot about relationships and how never to get involved in one. When he meets sweet Adelaide, his life is forever changed. Her gentle personality has his thinking maybe his vow to never commit is misplaced. Until she disappears out of his life.

Adelaide knew the only way to escape the darkness she’s lived her life in, is to go back to the one place that’s haunted her dreams. Home. Reuniting with Courtland is the last thing on her mind until she becomes helpless to his every kiss. Hopeless to his ever touch. And no matter how far she tries to run, her heart is irrevocably bound to him.

New Release by Romance Author Sera Bright

Sera Bright has released her first novel. See Through Me is available now at Amazon.

**Special Release Price for One Week Only $0.99**

Book Summary
There’s only one person I want to see when I finally return home. But I know he won’t be waiting for me. It’s the reason I feel safe enough to come back.
 
I’m so wrong.

Ash Townsend isn’t the same quiet boy from next door. He’s tall, dark, and demanding answers. He wants me, but he doesn’t trust me. Who can blame him? When his own family tried to break him down, he still sheltered me in this town full of liars. And I repaid it by leaving him behind without a word.

Because I’ll do anything to protect him. I have the scars on my wrist to prove it.

First in a 2-part series. Contains strong language, descriptive sexual situations, and mature themes. This novel is not intended for readers under the age of 18.

"Toxic Girl" by Chantal Fernando Now Available

Best selling romance author Chantal Fernando has released her new sexy novel. Get Toxic Girl at Amazon today.

Book Summary

Everyone has secrets.

Finally, I had a fresh start.

I knew no one.

I could be anyone, or so I thought.

I wanted to be invisible, to blend into the background.
But it turned out keeping my secret wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be.

Enter Grayson Mills.

When Grayson noticed me, so did everyone else.
He wanted me. Bad.

And what Grayson wanted, he usually got.

"See Through Me" Teaser from Sera Bright

Check out the teaser from Sera Bright's first romance.  See Through Me will be released on May 8th.

New Release from Laramie Briscoe

Check out the new romance by Laramie Briscoe. Only the Beginning is now available at Amazon.

 

Book Summary

****BOOK #1 IN THE ROCKIN' COUNTRY SERIES****
Princess of Country Music
America’s sweetheart
Survivor of the scrutiny that comes with it all

Hannah “Harmony” Stewart has lived most of her adult life in the spotlight. It hasn’t always been easy. One heartbreak almost ruined her. Some days it’s hard to keep a smile on her face and stay positive,but there are a lot of people counting on her to keep it together. Just when it seems like she’s at the pinnacle of her career, her life takes a turn. She meets a man who challenges everything she knows about herself and makes her question if the life she’s living is for her or for the Nashville machine.

Heavy Metal’s bad boy
Hair trigger temper
Struggling to deal with pressure of the industry

Garrett “Reaper” Thompson is tired. Touring and keeping up appearances with his band “Black Friday” is beginning to wear him out. He’s ready for a change, ready for something different. When he meets Hannah at an awards show, he knows that she’s the one, he knows that he can’t live without her.

The problem?

Their own insecurities, their fans, her ex-boyfriend, and the media themselves. Can they look past it all and come through on the other side? For their story – this is only the beginning.

Cover Reveal for "Dragon's Lair" by Chantal Fernando

Check out the cover for Chantal Fernando's upcoming "Dragon's Lair."

Book Summary

When I found my boyfriend cheating on me, I did something stupid.

Or should I say, someone?

Because of that mistake, I’m now stuck in a world I don’t belong in.

I’m a law student. They’re criminals.
He’s the Vice President of a MC. I’m a good girl with strict upbringing.

He’s my ex-boyfriend’s brother.

And I’m screwed.

"Moon Dance" by V.J. Chambers Is Now Available

Check out the new book by V.J. Chambers. Moon Dance is the third book in the Cole and Dana series and is now available at Amazon.

Book Summary
Dana Gray loves her husband and her two-year-old daughter, but her life is far from perfect. Domestic strain weighs down her marriage, and her role as a stay-at-home mom cuts her off the rest of the world. It's a thankless, never-ending job, and her only escape is shifting into a wolf and running beneath the trees and sky.

When Cole Randall is captured again, he leverages his knowledge about a threat to the werewolf community in exchange for a pardon. And he's got a plan to neutralize this threat. He and Dana will go undercover. She'll have to pretend to be his prisoner.

Dana knows that her draw to Cole is irrational and unwise. She knows that her life is far more stable without him in it. And she knows this plan of his is dangerous--not only to her safety, but to her relationship with her husband.

But she can't resist Cole.

She can never resist him.

*****

Find Valerie's books at Amazon.

Follow Valerie on Twitter, Facebook, and her website.

Cover Reveal for "Moon Dance" by V.J. Chambers

Moon Dance: Cole and Dana, Book Three
 
Dana Gray loves her husband and her two-year-old daughter, but her life is far from perfect. Domestic strain weighs down her marriage, and her role as a stay-at-home mom cuts her off the rest of the world. It’s a thankless, never-ending job, and her only escape is shifting into a wolf and running beneath the trees and sky.
 
When Cole Randall is captured again, he leverages his knowledge about a threat to the werewolf community in exchange for a pardon. And he’s got a plan to neutralize this threat. He and Dana will go undercover. She’ll have to pretend to be his prisoner.
 
Dana knows that her draw to Cole is irrational and unwise. She knows that her life is far more stable without him in it. And she knows this plan of his is dangerous—not only to her safety, but to her relationship with her husband.
 
But she can’t resist Cole.
 
She can never resist him.
 
Learn more on Valerie's website.

Interview with Romance Author Ember Casey

Ember Casey is a red hot indie author with a sexy completed series titled His Wicked Games. At the end of February '14, she published the tantalizing spinoff Her Wicked Heart. Let's learn more about Ember and her writing...

Angie: How long have you been writing and when did you decide to indie publish? What was the biggest hurdle in going it alone?

 

Ember: I’d been writing for several years before I published anything—you do NOT want to see those early novels I wrote! They were absolutely terrible. I needed to get a few “practice” books out of my system before I wrote anything worth showing other people. (Seriously. Those books were BAD.) But I’ve been part of an amazing writing group for years now and those ladies are constantly helping me improve as a writer.

 

When I did decide to self-publish, it was after several of my author friends had already taken the leap—so fortunately, I never felt like I was going it alone! I think a support system is really important no matter where you are in the publishing process, but it’s especially crucial in the self-publishing world. It’s the Wild West out there (the industry is changing so fast that it’s hard to keep up with everything!) and I wouldn’t be where I am today without all the support I’ve received—from critique partners, from friends, and from the reading and blogging communities!

 

Angie: In 2013, you published the His Wicked Games series. Can you explain the idea behind the series? Where did the inspiration come from?

 

Ember: So remember those bad books I was telling you about? Well, back in 2012, I was writing Young Adult—more specifically, I was working on a retelling of a Scottish version of the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale (I’m a sucker for fairy tales). The problem? I was going for a very sensual, vivid tone, but apparently it was coming off a little, uh, adult. At least according to my critique partners. Apparently I have a habit of accidentally weaving sexual undertones into everything (like, say, a description of the sky, of all things).

 

Eventually, I decided to do an exercise and work on an adult romance as a side project—and that “side project” eventually evolved into His Wicked Games.

 

Angie: Can you tell us about Lily and Calder?

 

Ember: Oh man, Lily and Calder are so fun to write. They’re both stubborn, and they both hate to lose—which makes their “games” really amusing for me. In Lily, I tried to create a girl who could hold her own against the dominating-billionaire type, and in Calder, my goal was to create a billionaire with a different kind of character arc (but no spoilers. ;) )

 

Angie: How many books were in the series?

 

Ember: Three—two full length novels and a novella. BUT I’m working on a spin-off series now (starring Calder’s sister, Lou) and you definitely haven’t seen the last of Lily and Calder.

 

Angie: In late February 2014, you published Her Wicked Heart. Will you tell us about Lou and Ward?

 

Ember: If Calder’s the damaged one in the Lily/Calder relationship, then Lou is the damaged one here. She and her brother definitely share some issues! Ward is a different sort of leading man than Calder (partially because it would be VERY creepy if Lou fell for someone with the exact same personality as her brother) but he’s very sexy in his own way. He’s very much your rugged, blue-collar type hero, very different from the more refined, controlled Calder.

 

Angie: When do you expect to publish the next book in the Her Wicked Heart series?

 

Ember: Right now, it’s looking like June, but I should be making an official announcement soon. In the meantime, though, I’m planning on releasing some bonus material (including a Lily and Calder story!) before then.

 

Angie: What drew you to romance as a genre? Do you plan to branch out to other genres as your career progresses?

 

Ember: As I said in my answer above, my first foray into the Romance genre began as a writing exercise, so I definitely see myself branching out into other genres someday (though probably under other names). Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Fantasy—I have lots of story ideas! For the time being, though, I’m focusing solely on Romance.

 

Angie: How do you come up with the names for your characters?

 

Ember: Female names are usually pretty easy for me—I can usually come up with them off the top of my head. But guy names? Those are a lot harder. I usually spend a lot of time looking through baby name websites and other sources before settling on something. I want something that sounds strong and sexy and “different”—without being too weird. It’s hard! (for me, at least.)

 

Angie: Chicken or the egg question. Do you create a character and build around him/her? Or do you imagine a concept and create characters which fit the idea?

 

Ember: A little of both. With His Wicked Games, I started with the whole ‘Beauty and the Beast’ concept and created the characters from there. With my other books, though, the characters have come first. Once you have well-formed characters, they create their own plots!

 

Angie: How do you avoid writing a Mary Sue or Marty Stu when most writers can’t help falling desperately in love with their creations?

 

Ember: I love flawed characters—they’re so much more interesting to write! They create all sorts of messes for themselves. For me, it comes down to motivations—you have to figure out what your character wants most in the world, then take it away from them (or at least threaten to take it away from them). Back them into a corner and see what they do. The meaner you are to your characters, the better. Make them desperate or scared or angry and then let them run wild.

 

I like to take either one of two approaches: either have my characters do the “right” thing for the “wrong” reason, or have them do the “wrong” thing for the “right” reason. The specifics come down to the individual character and his or her motivations. Both approaches make your character a little more complex, a little more human. But just as important, they allow your characters to remain sympathetic in the eyes of your readers.

 

Angie: Do you use anything to inspire you while you’re writing? Music, visual aids, etc? Also have you found ideas come to you more freely in particular places or at certain times of the day?

 

Ember: I listen to a LOT of Lana Del Rey while I write. It’s a bit of an obsession, really. I think it’s because I’m naturally a very upbeat person, and I need a little moody inspiration to get me in the right headspace to write dramatic or emotional scenes.

 

In general, I find I get a LOT more done if I’m not at home. There’s a coffee shop around the corner from me where I work several times a week (they have GIANT slices of cake there, which is perfect for my more stressful days… mmm, red velvet!). But I’ve also had some amazing marathon all-night writing sessions sitting on my bed. So it really depends.

 

Angie: When an idea hits you, do you start writing immediately or plot it out first?

 

Ember: I’m a pantser. I’ve tried outlining, but I just can’t work that way. I can’t tell whether something is going to work or not until I’ve written it out. Usually I just sit down and write—and by the time I’ve made it about ¾ of the way into the novel, just before the climax, I can tell what’s coming together and what isn’t. Then I go back to the beginning and work through it again, revising and rewriting as needed, and only on the second go do I actually write the climax and ending.

 

Angie: When you read less than fawning reviews, how do you know when to use the critique to improve your future writing and when do you chalk up the criticism as different strokes for different folks?

 

Ember: Actually, I’ve reached the point now where I try not to read any reviews. (It doesn’t always work that way, but I’m getting better.) Why? Because for me, I find that ALL reviews, bad or good, have a way of sticking in my head. I’d read a good review that would say something like, “I really loved x, y, and z! I really hope there’s more x, y, and z in the next book!” And then I’d go into a panic because there wasn’t even a little x, y, and z in my work-in-progress. It became an anxiety spiral for me.

 

Of course, I do keep an (only slightly obsessive) eye on my general ratings. If I see a rash of low ratings pop up, then I might skim a few to make sure they aren’t all complaining about the same thing (or making any other comments otherwise indicative of a larger problem). Otherwise, I try to focus mainly on the comments of my beta readers, critique partners, etc. (and even then, sometimes they offer conflicting opinions) to keep myself sane. Focusing on everyone’s opinion and trying to make everyone happy is, in my experience, a path to a major headache. And a book that’s scattered and unfocused.

 

In general, I’m of the mind that reviews are for other readers, not for the authors. They help other readers find books they’ll enjoy—and avoid those they probably won’t. Not everyone’s going to love my writing style or sense of humor or portrayal of a sexy billionaire, and that’s okay!

 

Angie: I’ve read criticism from particular bloggers (Fangs for the Fantasy being one) about the lack of people of color and different sexual orientations in fiction. Do you take this lack of diversity into consideration when creating plots and characters?

 

Ember: It’s something I definitely intend to take better consideration of in the future. I’m as guilty as many other authors for not featuring as much diversity as I could, and it’s definitely something I’m working on changing (I’ve been bouncing around an idea for a new series that would feature an interracial romance). My most recent book, Her Wicked Heart, initially had an entire subplot revolving around a gay supporting character, but it wasn’t working for me—essentially the character’s sexuality became a plot device, and in the end, I felt that was just as problematic (more so, even) then not having the character’s sexuality come up at all. That was one of the main reasons I ended up cutting that subplot.

 

But yes—romance could definitely use more diversity and it’s something I’m actively working on going forward.

 

Angie: Do word counts mean anything to you? Do you find your books top out at around the same lengths?

 

Ember: It’s a little scary how close in length all of my novels are (right at 70,000 words, every time!). Sometimes when I’m drafting, a book will be 10k more words than usual (or 15k fewer), but somehow, after that first major round of revisions is done, it always ends up at 70k again. Don’t ask me how.

 

Angie: How big a deal is writer’s block for you and what do you do to shake it off?

 

Ember: I try to be very structured about my writing, and that means sitting down to write whether I’m feeling it or not. Some days it’s torture getting the words out, but I push through (and funny enough, those are often the scenes that other people love best). Now that writing is my job, I try to treat it like one.

 

Angie: What books did you enjoy most in 2013?

 

Ember: Hmm, that’s a tough one! I would have to say the Sevenwaters books by Juliet Marillier (technically not published in 2013, but that’s when I read them so I’m counting it!). Those books contain some of the most beautiful love stories I’ve ever read. EVER. They tore up my soul and made me cry so many times.

 

Angie: What trends do you hope die in 2014? Are there any you hope take off?

 

Ember: Whenever I think I’m sick of a trend, some new amazing book comes along and changes my mind! As for trends I’d like to see more of… I’m a huge fan of light-hearted erotic romance. Stuff that’s less angsty and more funny (but just as sexy, of course!).

 

Angie: What are you plans for 2014 as an indie writer?

 

Ember: Write, write, write! I have five more books on the tentative schedule for the year (only one of those—Lost and Found—has been officially announced), but we’ll see how things go! ;)

 

*****

 

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